creta 1

8/13/2019 Creta 1

1/6

Cretan Reproductions

Author(s): Gisela M. A. RichterSource: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol. 5, No. 5 (May, 1910), pp. 113-117Published by: The Metropolitan Museum of ArtStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3252607.

Accessed: 14/01/2014 18:50

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at.http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of

content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

The Metropolitan Museum of Artis collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The

Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 62.204.192.85 on Tue, 14 Jan 2014 18:50:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=mmahttp://www.jstor.org/stable/3252607?origin=JSTOR-pdfhttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/stable/3252607?origin=JSTOR-pdfhttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=mma

8/13/2019 Creta 1

2/6

BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ARTsession of the Countess Clam-Gallas, atVienna,whichhas been mentionedn thisconnection s differentn type). Our car-pet is closelyrelated to the large animalrug in the Kaiser FriedrichMuseum inBerlin, oth n color as well as inmotives.On accountofthe number fChineseele-ments n thedesign, nd therarity f thewhiteground,whichseems to be charac-teristicn the oldest typesof rugs,F. R.Martinassignsboth rugs to the Timuridperiod,assigningours to the end of thisperiod-about 1490-fixing thedate froma manuscriptwhichwas executedin thesamestyle n 1490for he SultanMirzaAliofGilan.It has beensaid thatthisrugwas madeat Bagdad in the sixteenth entury,butthis s hardly orrect,inceBagdad,at thistime nthepossession ftheTurks,was notknown as an importantplace of carpetweaving. The reasonswhichMartingivesfor a North Persianprovenance re muchmore convincing, s Gilan is the placewhere, fewyears later,most of the im-portantworks or hecourtofthe Safavidsweremade.There is no need of callingattention othe beauty of the rug from the ArdebilMosque. It is quiteperfectn drawing swell as in color: The livelymovements ftheanimalsare renderedwiththegreatestfreedomfdrawing, nd theartbywhichthecomplicatedpositions f theanimals srepresentedn the flat surface s no lessremarkable. The colors are unusuallydeep and rich, speciallythe black of thegazelles and the dark blue of the border,which make a beautifulcontrastto thewarm red of the background. The deepcolorsare brightened y theyellowof thelions, he delicatepale green f the boars,and the whitepeonyflowers,xecuted nsilver hreads,whichare scattered ver thewholecomposition.There existsan exact companion pieceto thisrug nthecollection fDr. F. Sarre,ofBerlin,which lso came from he ArdebilMosque. Five rugs are known to havebeen in thismosque: two large ones-ofwhich one is at the South KensingtonMuseum,and the otherwas sold at theYerkes sale-and three mallerones--our

recentacquisition, ts companionpiece inBerlin, nd thesilkrugwith hetreeof ifeformerlyn the Yerkes collection. It ismore than likelythat the two largerugs,as well as ours and its companionpiece,wereall executed at the sametimeunderthereign fthe econdShahoftheSafavids,Thamasp I (1524-76), in thecapital ofhisempire,Ardebil. The largecarpet n Lon-don is dated 1539. As to whetherourswas donea short imebefore r after pin-ions differ. It probably dates a littleearlier, about 1520-1530.The thirdanimal rug,which is similarin styleto the one alreadyownedby theMuseum,belongs undoubtedly o the lastperiod fthehuntingarpets, bout I6oo00ra little ater. The border,with tsgeomet-ricalcurves, s archaistic n style,but thearabesques in the centerfield re in thestyleof the best period. The drawingofthe animals is heavyin comparisonwiththatof the othertworugs, nd thecoloralittlehard. The redsand greenssuggestthe so-calledIspahan typeand showcer-tain influencefromHerat. The yellow,on the otherhand,as Mr.Mumfordightlyobserves,s a colorused bythe Kurds. Itis probable, herefore,hatthecarpetwaswoven nthenorthwesternart of Persia.The largestof the Museum's rugshasbeen in the possessionof VincentRobin-son and then of A. Thien in Berlin. Ithas been published by Vincent Robin-son in EasternCarpets,1882, and by W.Bode in Vorderasiatische niipfteppiche(fig. 5). The othertwohave also passedthroughthe hands of Vincent Robinsonandhavebeenpublished, heearlier nebyStebbing,n TheHoly Carpet ftheMosqueat Ardebil, nd the otherby W. Bode, inthe above-mentionedook (fig.13)-W. R. V.

CRETAN REPRODUCTIONSN theFebruaryumberf theBUL-LETIN for 19o8 was publishednaccount f our collection epresent-ing Greekprehistoricrt,now ex-hibited n Gallery 0. This collection,fromorcefcircumstances,onsistsmost-ly of reproductions,ecause,as is well

113

This content downloaded from 62.204.192.85 on Tue, 14 Jan 2014 18:50:22 PMAll use subject toJSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

8/13/2019 Creta 1

3/6

BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ARTknown, he Cretan uthorities illnotper-mittheexport fany mportant orkfromtheir sland. But the splendidfacsimilesmade by E. Gillieron nd H. Baggeare ofsufficientccuracyto give us a vivid ideaof the originals. In the last two yearsconsiderable addi-tions have beenmade to thiscollec-tion,which how tillfurther he wonder-fulversatilityftheearlyCretanartists,and, moreover, iveus some interestinginformation ithre-gard to the socialand religious cus-toms of their ime.Most importantamong hese s a fac-simile fthe famoussarcophagus fromHagia Triada (figs.2 and3),whichs oneofthegreatestmon-uments fCretan rtthat have beendiscovered. Unlikethe other arcophagifound n Crete it isnot of clay, but ofstone. The dimen-sions are 4 ft.4 in.long, ft.6 in.wide,2 ft. 8 in. deep,thebody being placedinsiden contractedposition ccording otheusualcustom. Itis decoratedon its foursideswithpaint-ingswhichwere not executeddirectly nthe stone,but on a layerof stucco,andare, therefore,n everyrespect ike frescopaintings. The sceneshavebeen dentifiedas representing unerary ites,and are,therefore, losely connected with oneanother. (Cf. R. Paribeni, Il Sarcofagodipintodi Haghia Triada in MonumentiantichiXIX, 1908, p. 8 ff.) Each of thelong sides is divided into threeparts bydifferent olored backgrounds. On theside whichis betterpreservedwe see onthe extremeright figure losely wathed

FIG. I. A LADY FROM KNOSSOSFROM A REPRODUCTION

standing erect before the fagade of abuilding. This has been interpreted sthe figure f the dead standingbeforehistomb. By his side are a sacredtree anda sort of stepped platformwhich mayhave served for the deposit of offerings.The centerof thescene s occupiedbythree offering-bear-ers; the first arriesa ship, a symbolprobably f thevoy-age of thedead; theother wohave, ach,a calfrepresentednfullgallop, curiousinstanceof the art-ist's copying well-known ypewithoutconsideringthe in-appropriatenessf tin this ase. On theleft another rite istaking place: awoman is pouringlibation from pailinto a large vasestanding betweentwoposts;the atterare surmountedbydouble xesof hefa-miliar ype, n whichsacredbirdravens?)are perched. Thesebirds, accordingtoDr. A. J. Evans,represent the de-scent of the divinespiritsnto the objectsofworship,ndi-catingthat the invocations ave metwith avor. Behindollow womanarry-ingtwopailson a pole nd a manplayingthe yre.Thesubject nthe theride fthe ar-cophagus as alsoreferenceosome itual.Onthe xtremeights an altar n whichareplaced horns fconsecration, hichwe knowplayedan important art inMinoan eligion.Beside he altar re anolive-treend post,urmountedydoubleaxeswith sacred ird, ike hose n theother ide. In frontfthese s an offer-ingtable,on which s placeda vase; a

I14


8/13/2019 Creta 1

4/6

BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ARTwoman stands before t with both armsextended, s if invoking he deity. Nearby are a jug and a basketwithfruit. Inthe center s a dead bull stretched n atable, and decorated with red ribbons;blood flows rom ts throat nto a recepta-clebelow. Under hetabletwo deerawaittheir urn o be sacrificed. The rest fthescene is taken up by a procession f fivewomen,precededby a long-haired lute-player. Of the women only the lowerpartsarepreserved.The two endsofthesarcophagus re alsodecorated;on one is represented two-horse hariotdrivenbytwowomen;ontheother, chariotdrawnby twogriffinsnddrivenby a womanwho has besideheraswathed figure. Mr. Paribeni interpretsthe atter s thefigurefthedead, and thebirdwhich s perchedon thewingof oneofthegriffinss hissoul.The chief interestof this sarcophaguslies in the data that it furnisheswith re-gard to Minoan ritual. /Egean religionpresentsmany problems,which annotyetbe settled. It is difficultnoughto recon-struct n ancient civilizationmerely romsuchremains s happento have survived;but to understandthe religion f peoplewho ivedover3,000 years gowithout hehelpof literary estimonys well-nighm-possible. Fromthe evidencethatwe candeduce from he finds onsisting ither fscenesof ancientworship,ikethaton oursarcophagus, r ofobjects ofreligious ig-nificance ound nshrines,t is certain hatthechief ivinitywas a greatnaturegod-dess. Of a maledivinityhere s little vi-dence, and, if he existed at all, he occu-pied quite a secondaryposition. Minoanworship eems to have consisted argelynthe adorationof religious ymbols,whichwereeithernaturalobjects, uch as stonesand trees, or artificial, uch as pillars,cones, the double ax, the horns of con-secration,and perhaps the cross. Thebullwas thechief nimal nCrete, nd wasusedboth for acrifice nd for he hunt.

Besides its religious significance, heHagia Triada sarcophagus furnishesuswith valuable informationn otherpoints.The costumeswornbythedifferentiguresare interesting.The offering-bearersave

a sortofapronofpeculiar hapesuggestiveof a hide; the priestesseswear similaraprons, as well as tight-fittingodices,like thosewornby the famous nake god-desses, but not open in front;the otherpeople have long robeswithembroideredbands. There are strikingimilarities e-tweenthe sceneson thissarcophagus ndEgyptianmonuments. Therepresentationof the dead beforehis tomb,the presenceof the sacred tree,the introduction f ashipas a votiveoffering,he sacrifice f abull,andthemanner fcollectingtsblood,the device of paintingthe skin of men adeep brown nd thatof the womenwhite,have all analogies in Egyptianart. Butthoughthese parallels show that the in-fluenceof Egypt was strong duringthisperiod, the paintingsare essentiallyCre-tan in their chief characteristics.Thetypes of the men and women with theirirregular,distinctly European features,their slenderwaists, and erect bearing;the costumes;the religious ymbols; areall thoroughlyMinoan, s is also the elab-orateornamentationfrosettesnd spiralswhichframe he frescoes nd decoratethefeet of the sarcophagus. The colorsem-ployed (blue, red,yellow, nd green) areofthevivid shades popular amongCretanartists. The workmanship s not verycarefuland should be dated at the endoftheLate Minoan I or the beginning fthe Late Minoan II period, hat s, about1450B.C.Our collection fcopiesof frescoes romthewallsof thePalace ofKnossoshasbeenincreasedby severalimportant xamples.The Cup-bearerfig.4), perhapsthe bestknown of Cretan frescoes,representsyouthadvancing lowly n a dignified os-ture, carryingwith both hands a long,pointedvessel of a shape often found nexcavations in Crete. Traces of anotherfigurehowthatthis s onlyone of a pro-cessionofyouths. He is nude,exceptfora loin-clothdecoratedwith a four-petaldesign. He also wears braceletson theupper arm and one with a signeton theleftwrist. Thereare certainfaults n thedrawing,uchas theeyedrawn n full rontand the outlineof the chest; but the im-pressionof the whole is one of greatdig-

115


8/13/2019 Creta 1

5/6

BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

----;g~~Mki~%&ll~O~t~~~e~s88~$O~%~EB~~~a~d~~P~P~ra~3~rpFlim ~J~i -X

I ,t

FIGS. 2 AND 3. TWO VIEWS OF A SARCOPHAGUS FROM HAGIA TRIADA, CRETEFROM A REPRODUCTION IN THE MUSEUMnityand distinction. The periodis thatof the greatPalace period, . e., Late Mi-noan II (about 1500-1350).Two frescoes, ach representing ladyfrom Knossos (fig. I), areinterestingecordsboth for thetype of the faces and the cos-tumesduringthissame period.We are surprised,s so often nCretanwork,at the modernityof these women with piquantfaces, elaborate coiffures,ndclotheswhich are much morelike our presentfashionsthanlike those worn in Greece dur-ing the classical period. Ofgreat nterest lso are two mini-ature frescoesrepresentings-semblies of men and womenaround a shrine and dancingundertrees. The frescoof theflying ish from Phylakopi inMelos (p. 131) is painted in asomewhatfreer tyleand showsgreatobservation fnature. Itbelongsto the Late Minoan Iperiod (about 1600-I5oo), andis nowgenerally egarded s animportationfrom Crete or aworkexecutedunderthe directinfluence fCretanart.An interesting ollection offacsimiles f small stone vases,found yMr.R. Seager n 1907and 1908inthe islandsofPseira and Mochlos, ivesussome idea of the work of Minoan stonecutters. The vases are of various shapesand sizes and are made of beautifullyveinedmarbles, reccia, teatite, tc. The

FIG. 4.THE CUP-BEARERFROM KNOSSOS.

workmanships veryfinishednd pointsto a highlydeveloped art. The tombsin whichthey were found are dated asfarback as the Early Minoan III period,thatis,before 200 B.C.The otherreproductionson-sistofa tallporphyryampfromPalaikastro, largebasalt shell,two small lamps, nd two smallvasesof steatite, ll from hais-tos, and the beautiful teatitehead of a bullfoundby Dr. A.

J.Evans at Knossos in I908.The latter,which has a hole atthe top of the head and one inthe mouth, as well as a lidwhichfits the back, probablyserved s a rhyton. Themuzzleis outlinedwith a whitish andof a shelly substance and theeyesare inlaidwithrockcrystal(one eye only was preserved).The hornswerenotfound; heywereprobably fgiltwood andhave been so restoredby M.Gillieron. The effectof thewhole is very lifelike, nd theexecution of the details showscareful workmanship. It be-longsto theMiddleMinoanIIIperiod (about 1850-1600).It will be noticed that thedates given to the differentMinoan periods n this articledifferromthosegiven n the BULLETINn February,I908. Cretan xcavators renowfavoringtheminimumystem fEgyptian hronol-ogy, and, as Cretan chronologys basedon thatofEgypt, heyhavehad to change116


8/13/2019 Creta 1

6/6

BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ARTconsiderablyhe dates of theirown finds.As a large proportionf ourreproductionsare from bjectsfound at Knossosby Dr.A. J.Evans,we had adoptedhis system fchronologyn 19o8,and are nowchangingourdating ccording ohis revised cheme.'Early Minoan--before 200 B.C.MiddleMinoanI--about 2200- 2000B.C.MiddleMinoan II-about 2000-1850B.C.MiddleMinoan II-about 1850-i6ooB.C.Late Minoan I--about 1600- 1500B.C.Late MinoanII--about 1500- 1350B.C.Late Minoan III-about 1350B.C.The reproductionsheredescribedhavebeen temporarily

BURGUNDIAN TAPESTRY (DETAIL)FIFTEENTH CENTURY

placed in theRoomof RecentAccessions,with the exceptionof the frescoesfromKnossos and Phylakopi,which rrived astyear and are exhibited n Gallery20.G. M. A. R.

1Thissystems notyetpublishedy Dr.A. J.Evanshimself,ut t is givennCrete,theForerunnerf Greece,yC. H. andH. B.Hawes, s communicatedyDr. Evansto thewritersy etter.

A TAPESTRY OF THE FIFTEENTHCENTURYT HEMuseumsfortunaten nclud-ing nitscollectionftapestriesseveral otable xamplesf fif-teenth-centuryeaving. Suchpieces s theBardactapestries,epresent-ing heBailliedesRoses2 nd the Sacra-ment set3 are alreadywell knownthrougharious ublications.But,withtheexceptionf three llustrationsnac-

companied by text in the BULLETINforDecember, 1909 (Vol. IV, pp. 227-229),attentionhas not previouslybeen calledin the Museum's publication to the ac-quisition, hrough urchase, nNovember,1909, ofan important urgundian apestryofthe middleof thefifteenth century,representing veryprobablythe takingof Jerusalem byTitus. This largetapestry, distin-guishedforthedec-orative quality ofits naive designandforthe charmof itssoftened olors,wasshown ntheexposi-tionof tapestries tParis in 1900goondpublished with anenthusiastic escrip-tion by J. Destriein Les Annales dela Soci&th d'Arch-eologiede Bruxelles,1903, Vol. XVII.The presence f nscriptions,ftenversi-fied, n Latin or French, s ofcommon c-currence n the tapestries f the periodtowhichthe Museum'srecent cquisitionbe-longs. It is sufficientnthisconnection orecall,forexample,the series now in theMuseum t Berne, fthehistory fCaesar.It seemsprobable hat similar egends nceformed artoftheMuseum's apestry, ut

in theirabsence the identification f thesubjectof thistapestry,with ts confusionof figures nd panoramic uxtapositionofscenes,mustremainonlyconjectural.When, aftera long siege, in 70 A.D.,Jerusalem ell nto the hands of the Em-perorVespasian'sson,Titus, ateremperorhimself, frightful assacreensued,vastnumbers fpersonswere carried ntoslav-ery,and in the destructionfthecitytheTemple was burned and despoiledof itsholy vessels. The representationf theseven-branched andlestick nd pieces oftheTempleservice n thesculpture n thearchof Titus at Rome s,ofcourse, amiliarto all. In theMuseum'stapestry, mong2BULLETIN, September, 19o9, Vol. IV, p.149.aBULLETIN, March, 907,Vol.II. p. 40.

I17

This content downloaded from 62.204.192.85 on Tue, 14 Jan 2014 18:50:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

creta 1

Documents